Richard Seeborg

Richard Gus Seeborg (born November 4, 1956) is the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. He formerly served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the same district.

Early life and education
Born in Landstuhl, Germany, Seeborg earned a Bachelor of Arts in history summa cum laude from Yale University in May 1978 and then earned a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 1981. From 1981 to 1982, Seeborg served as a law clerk to judge John H. Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Career
In 1982, Seeborg joined the San Francisco law firm of Morrison & Foerster as an associate. He became a partner with the firm in 1987. In 1991, Seeborg left Morrison & Foerster to become an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of California in San Jose, California. He served in that post until 1998, when he returned to Morrison & Foerster, working as a partner and focusing on a litigation practice in the fields of securities, intellectual property, and general commercial matters.

Federal judicial service
On February 9, 2001, Seeborg became a United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

On August 7, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Seeborg to be a United States district judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. On October 15, 2009, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted to send Seeborg's nomination to the full Senate. The Senate confirmed Seeborg by unanimous consent on December 24, 2009. He received his commission on January 4, 2010. He became Chief Judge on February 1, 2021, after Phyllis J. Hamilton assumed senior status.

Notable rulings

 * On March 6, 2019, Seeborg ruled that U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross could not add a question about citizenship to the 2020 United States Census.


 * On April 8, 2019, Seeborg ruled that non-Mexican asylum seekers did not have to stay in Mexico while awaiting their court proceedings.

Personal
Seeborg resides in San Francisco, California.